


there's a legal limit to the snow here (in Camelot)

by AshesStarsAndRedStringsOfFate



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Cute, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:59:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27815704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshesStarsAndRedStringsOfFate/pseuds/AshesStarsAndRedStringsOfFate
Summary: Arthur and Merlin spend a quiet winter night stargazing and holding hands. Soft fluff ensues.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 30
Collections: Merlin Holidays 2020





	there's a legal limit to the snow here (in Camelot)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Donts](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Donts/gifts).



> This is one of the cutest things I have ever written, and I cried tears of joy writing this. Enjoy!

Camelot in winter was always spectacular, according to those who had spent winters both there and elsewhere. Winter seemed to almost wait for December 1st to properly start, and even once it had, there was never so much snow that it could be construed as a problem. While yes, it was quite cold in the winter months, it was never so cold that you would feel as if your face was freezing off with only one second of exposure. Many visitors to the kingdom in its winter months marvelled at how the snow was soft and fluffy, rather than slushy and disgusting, and how it seemed that, as soon as March came about, any traces of winter seemed to vanish. 

Arthur had never been the world’s biggest fan of the winter months, mostly because he hated staying inside. While it wasn’t dangerous to be outdoors, per say, it was ill-advised to go hunting in the winter months unless one was truly desperate, and so Arthur found himself constantly bored in winter. This could not be said for Merlin, who seemed to love the not-so-harsh winters more than Arthur could ever understand. Merlin loved watching the snow fall outside, he loved the festive atmosphere that came with the Yule season, and he loved pranking Arthur by throwing snowballs into his face. Of course, Arthur would always retaliate in kind, and soon, the two would find themselves covered in snow before Merlin herded them both back inside to warm up before they caught a cold. 

The one thing Arthur had to admit that he enjoyed about winter, however, was how much clearer the night sky seemed to be. The sun setting earlier and rising later did have its benefits, Arthur supposed, especially when it came to more time to watch the stars. Arthur had always liked the stars from the time he was a young child. They were almost comforting, in a way, like an old friend that was always there to watch over you. The stories that went along with the constellations were also comforting in their own way. Arthur had spent many nights falling asleep tracing the constellations while whispering their myths under his breath. 

On this night, however, Arthur found himself unable to sleep, simply staring out the window at the stars and not feeling any form of tiredness. It was a bit colder tonight than usual, and Arthur found himself under extra blankets, yet still cold. After a couple extra hours of staying under the blankets and staring out the window, he groaned and rolled out of bed, pulling on his boots and grabbing a coat before stalking out of his room for some fresh air. A nighttime walk would do him good. 

As he wandered out into the cold night air, he realized that he might not be as alone as he’d first thought. Pausing, he took a moment to examine his surroundings, hand instinctively going for his sword, even though it wasn’t on him. 

“Arthur?” Arthur relaxed upon hearing his voice, turning around with a relived sigh. 

“Merlin, you could have been stabbed,” Arthur drawled, folding his arms as he stared at his manservant. “What on Earth are you doing out here?” 

“Taking a walk, just like you apparently,” Merlin shot back, also folding his arms. “Why are you out here,  _ sire _ ?” 

“Admiring the stars. I couldn’t sleep,” Arthur simply replied, looking Merlin up and down, noticing something very concerning. “Why aren’t you wearing a coat?” 

“I forgot,” Merlin mumbled, bunching his shoulders up a bit. Arthur simply sighed and took off his coat, draping it over Merlin’s shoulders. 

“Well then, we might as well walk together,” Arthur announced. “It won’t do for you to freeze alone out here, now would it? Who would dress me in the morning, then?” 

“George,” Merlin answered, causing Arthur to simply scoff and roll his eyes in response to that. 

“Yes, but George is  _ boring _ .” The little whine on his voice elicited a small giggle from Merlin, and Arthur’s own heart thumped a little in response. “Besides, it won’t do for my manservant to turn up sick, now would it?” 

“No, no it would not,” Merlin laughed, pulling Arthur’s coat tighter around himself. 

The two then walked in silence for a bit, simply breathing in the cold night air and taking in the quiet, peaceful atmosphere. The snow crunched softly under Arthur and Merlin’s boots as they walked, leaving perfect replicas of their footprints behind in otherwise mostly pristine carpets of white. There was no wind that night, leaving the air still, crisp, and clear, but not enough to hurt Arthur’s lungs. Eventually, the two came to a low stone wall, and Arthur hopped up on it to sit, Merlin joining him almost immediately. 

After a bit, Merlin finally broke the silence. “Thank you for the coat, Arthur.” 

“It’s fine. You don’t have as much muscle as I do, after all, you’ll get cold easier.” Arthur pretended not to notice how Merlin’s hand had made its way into his, his thin, cold fingers stealing the warmth from Arthur’s. He also pretended to not notice how, even with the coat, Merlin’s pale cheeks had a rosy red tinge to them; surely his own were similar, at this point. 

“Still. Thank you, Arthur.” The two sat in silence for a while longer. Arthur tilted his head back at some point to stare at the stars, smiling softly as their soft but bright light seemed to wink at him from up in the clear, cloudless sky. Eventually, though, sleep reminded Arthur that it existed, and that it was coming for him, and, when Arthur glanced over, Merlin was clearly feeling the same way. 

“Come on,” Arthur murmured, standing up without releasing Merlin’s hand from his own. “It’s time for bed.” Merlin didn’t put up a fight, simply allowing himself to be tugged along by Arthur. He didn’t argue as Arthur guided him up to his room, even as Arthur encouraged him to undress a bit to crawl under the covers with him. When Arthur joined him, he tangled their hands together again under the thick covers, smiling softly as he saw that Merlin was already almost entirely asleep. Arthur then closed his eyes as well, allowing sleep to overtake him as stars began to twinkle behind his eyes from dreamland. They most likely wouldn’t speak of this in the morning, Arthur knew, but that didn’t matter, because in this moment, under the warmth of too many layers of blankets, on this cold winter night, everything was perfect just the way it was. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this! If you liked it, please leave a comment! 
> 
> And happy holidays, Donts!


End file.
